


Someone Was Watching

by RedGhost1010



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Gen, Hurt Danny, Identity Porn, Kidnapping, Protective Danny, Psychology, Whump, got to love them secrets revealed stories, he adopts basically everyone, they adopt him too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:47:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23548669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedGhost1010/pseuds/RedGhost1010
Summary: Crime was a thing of the past in Amity Park, a town far more concerned with the existential dread (and property damage) brought by ghosts. With two years of supernatural battles plus their very own superhero, the town was feeling rather confident in their safety.Then the first teenager disappeared.
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Amity Park, Danny Fenton & Valerie Gray, Danny Fenton & Vlad Masters, Danny Fenton & literally all of his classmates, Dash Baxter & Danny Fenton
Comments: 64
Kudos: 506





	1. Prologue

There were positives to having everything you know about life and death spun through a blender.

Due to the increase in ghosts within the City of Amity Park, kidnappings, assaults, murder, and other violent crimes were things of the past. The humans had better things to worry about, such as looming existential dread due to the confirmation of the existence of ghosts. Of course, one had to consider the risks of getting caught in a ghost fight– or standing within 60 feet of Jack Fenton – but other than the occasional weird occurrences, the town was a treasure to all its residents.

So when the first girl disappeared, it caught everyone's attention.

Ghosts don't kidnap people unless they're doing it very loudly or simply goading Phantom into fighting them, but a high school girl disappeared with zero noise.

Police were forced to resurface to work on locating a human, not a ghost. Some tried to calm the masses by saying they girl ran away. She was bullied in school and her grades were dropping; it's not as if a human would have taken her, right?

When the second girl went missing, people started to talk about a serial killer who snuck into Amity Park to prey on little girls. Police ignored the serial killer rumors, but _did_ focus on those who had recently moved here or were taking a vacation at the supposed "most haunted city in America." The second missing kid had moved to Amity Park only a week before the first girl disappeared.

Nothing came up and by the time the third child went missing, a young boy this time, the town was forced to recognize that a human was committing crime again within their walls. It was a terrifying thought for everyone. They had been handling ghosts for almost two years now, and suddenly it was back to fighting amongst themselves?

Neighbors feared neighbors. Old friends were suddenly suspicious of each other. A feeling of distrust invaded every mind in Amity Park before they could stop it. After a month since the first kidnapping, three teens were missing with no leads to where they went.

Mayor Montez was hounded by concerned parents almost immediately. Under threat of impeachment, Montez created several safety precautions for teenagers: one such rule included having parents drive their kids to and from school each day to ensure their safety 24/7.

The teenagers of Amity Park, although concerned with the thought of becoming the prey of a serial killer, were quite thrilled with some of the changes being made. Homework was light because the teachers were all distracted by learning drills to protect them from guns, and during the school week they were forced to go over safety features, which to them was better than any math course. But the best part was having their parents drive them every day- no more stinky buses!

Two teenagers with the last name Fenton, however, were less than thrilled with the arrangement.

* * *

"I swear that was a red light," Danny Fenton breathed heavily, leaning against the RV window. They passed through another intersection. "Okay, I know that one was a red light."

As the large vehicle carrying the Fenton family shot down the main highway of Amity Park, cars miles away heard the noise and moved to the side for fear of getting run over. If this weren't a typical occurrence in the city of Amity Park, the vehicle breaking not only the laws of the road but the laws of physics as well would have been pulled over already.

Thankfully for the Fentons – unthankfully for everyone else – the police were tired of ticketing them every time Jack Fenton got behind the wheel. As long as he didn't kill anyone and paid for all the property damage, it wasn't their issue.

"Dad, you do understand the meaning of speed limits, correct?" Jazz Fenton asked, in the same position as her little brother. "They're not suggestions."

Jack Fenton was hardly concerned by his children's statements.

"But of course, Jazzy-pants," he cried, stepping on the pedal at the exact moment. The speedometer now read just under 80mph. "But if you want to be on time, you have to break a few rules!"

Maddie Fenton looked as though she were on a rollercoaster at a theme park. Despite her love for her husband - and his insane driving skills - she put aside her fun in order to appease her children's wishes.

"Jack, dear, you're scaring the kids."

"I'm not scared," both Danny and Jazz said, stubbornly. They made a face at the other.

"Awwwww, but Maddie," Jack whined. "I want to go catch the ghost after this."

"I know you do, and we will, but please be a dear and get the kids to school still breathing?"

The two hunters were some of the only people in Amity Park who refused to believe a human was behind the kidnappings. Whether they had actual evidence to support this or it was just another one of their crazy ghost obsessions, Danny and Jazz could only guess.

"I would give anything to fly right now," Danny muttered, looking out the window and reminiscing all the times he skipped the bus to fly to school.

"Please, take me with you," Jazz said, holding a hand over her mouth. She was about two minutes away from puking inside their family's prized ghost hunting RV. "If I hurl, it's heading towards you."

Danny jerked backwards. "Keep it over there."

"You can turn intangible. I can't, so suffer."

Jack suddenly slammed on the brakes, sending the rest of his family forward as inertia kicked in. "We're here!"

"Oh thank God," Jazz whispered from her hunched over position. Danny laughed when her usually perfect red hair got stuck in her mouth.

"You'll pick us up?" Jazz asked, looking at their mom.

Maddie glanced at her husband bouncing in his seat and sighed. "I'll pick you up."

"Have a great day kids!" Jack shouted before speeding away through the parking lot.

The two green-looking teenagers watched the RV as it almost ran into their teacher's car. Lancer poked his head out of the window and screamed "FENTON!"

"If I get detention for this, Dad's raising my allowance," Danny grumbled.

Jazz blinked. "You have an allowance?"

Predictably, Lancer glared at the teenagers as he approached the school.

"I will now."

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Detention was boring as usual, but at least Danny had Mikey for company. The redhead was caught trying to change all the computer screens to play the Ghostbuster's theme song when they loaded this morning.

Mikey was busy doodling on a pad and Lancer seemed engrossed in today's newspaper when Danny's boredom took hold. There were zero ghosts around and it wasn't like the teacher would let him go to the bathroom anyways.

"What are you reading?" Danny wondered, leaning forward.

Lancer lowered the newspaper enough to look his student in the eye. "Are you asking because you're interested or because you're bored."

"A little of both."

Lancer raised an eyebrow, but seemed to be in a good mood as he started reading, "Stolen from her home last Tuesday, Caroline has been missing for long enough to contact the federal government about a large-scale kidnapping occurring in Amity Park. Officials are unsure if the federal agents visiting should be notified of our towns current predicament-"

"They mean the ghosts, right?" Mikey cut in.

"Yes Mr. Lankey, they mean the ghosts," Lancer answered, hardly fazed that he was interrupted. He suddenly got the "teacher look" which meant he was going to turn this into some sort of educational lesson. Closing his paper, he turned his attention to them.

"What do you two think of all this?" he asked.

When Jazz first showed Danny the announcement about a kidnapping, he'd rushed into the Ghost Zone to beat the one who took the human girl into a pulp. After almost three hours of talking to those he was allied with, and even several he wasn't, no one took credit for the event or had heard anything about it.

Though ghosts were hardly black and white beings, one thing that remained constant was their overall delight for attention. Danny even asked someone who was an expert on taking attention from other people - well according to Skulker, at least, who had pointed him towards the ghost's liar.

 _"Kid, if a ghost hasn't taken credit for it, then a ghost didn't do it,"_ the new guy, Amorpho, told him. _"Either that or you've got someone who's already taken credit for it, but in a way that's quiet, yet satisfying enough to appease their obsession."_

"It, uh well, would have been easier if a ghost did this," Danny finally said out loud. Lancer was tough on him, sure, but he was also the only teacher that tutored, gave extra credit, and worried about his students.

"We have hunters, trackers, and devices that can pinpoint a specific ectosignature. We even have access to the Ghost Zone, one of the only places ghosts use to hide out from humans," he continued, eyes on his teacher's interested expression. "Ghosts are predictable, but humans aren't, and that's going to be the hardest part in finding this guy, I guess."

Lancer grinned. "Mr. Fenton, I do believe that was the most in depth analysis you've ever given me. Jasmine would be proud."

Danny knew his face must be as red as it felt. That did not make him feel good. Not at all. Not even a little. Nope.

"Anything you want to add, Mr. Lankey?"

"We wouldn't need the help of people who think we're crazy if this were just another ghost attack," Mikey said, referring to the federal government's refusal to repair Amity Park's damaged roads after ghost attacks. They had practically laughed in their faces.

Lancer nodded. "I agree. These next few weeks will be hectic for all of us. No one wants the government butting into our business, but those children's lives are more important."

Danny suddenly remembered how he thought the second girl looked familiar. "Mr. Lancer, she wasn't one of your students, was she?"

The adult's eyes closed. "A Freshmen. Just moved here last month."

Mikey and Danny winced. That was right around the time when the first girl went missing.

"She was only here for a few days before everything went to hell," Danny commented, leaning his head against his desk.

He couldn't even imagine how that girl must be feeling right now. Some of Amity Park's citizens had thick skin due to their exposure to ghosts, but this girl and her family had only just moved here. Was anyone looking after her family?

"That's awful," Mikey said, looking down, "But why did she move here halfway through the school year?"

"Scholarship student," Lancer answered, looking wistful. "She was brilliant at art and Principal Ishiyama was hoping to raise the prestige of our school by accepting her even between terms."

Mikey looked as though his brain was working a mile a minute. Danny watched him out of the corner of his eye when Mikey whipped his head around to face him.

"Did you know the boy that was taken?" he asked.

Danny blinked slowly. "Uh, well I've seen him around school, but no, not really." His mind maybe catching up to what Mikey was thinking. "He's in band, I think?" he voiced, unsure.

Lancer was watching them curiously. "What are you getting at, Mr. Lankey?"

Mikey looked unsure himself, but more confident in whatever he was thinking about than the teacher and his classmate. "Not sure, but I need to ask my parents something because I think they were in a PTA group with the first girl that went missing."

Danny knew Mikey was smart - pretty much all the citizens of Amity Park had to be to survive - so if this kid could piece together something even the police couldn't, then he'd believe it.

"Well my parents are used to hunting ghosts, but if you find anything, I'm sure they'll help," Danny joked, knowing full well he'd be the one hunting this guy down if it came to it. Hunting humans was certainty new, but a couple people had been seen begging Phantom for aid so it's not as though he could sit around doing nothing while more people went missing.

Mikey nodded. "I will," he reassured.

The next day the newspaper headline reported him missing.


	2. Attention Bait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Casper High is one of the biggest targets because I go here."

Danny was tense.

"Beating yourself up over this isn't helping anyone," Sam said.

"I know," he whispered back, "But Mikey was right there with me, Sam. Just yesterday we were talking about these kidnappings and now he's the one taken?"

His best friends didn't need to see his face to know he was glaring holes into the blackboard.

Tucker risked leaning sideways to whisper, "Pretty weird, I admit, but it's got nothing to do with you."

"Casper High is one of the biggest targets because I go here."

"But you don't even know the first kids that went missing. Look, after class we can-"

"FENTON. FOLEY. Eyes front and center," the teacher shouted. The teenagers jumped at the shout, but reluctantly faced the blackboard.

Normally their classmates would have laughed at their misfortune but a somber mood had settled when Mikey disappeared. The previous students hadn't been in their grade, but every sophomore in Casper High knew Mikey.

To them, the danger was finally hitting home.

With the attention focused on Danny and Tucker, Dash turned his head to catch Kwan's eyes.

"My folks are really spooked about this," Dash whispered.

Kwan rubbed a hand down his face. "I couldn't sleep last night," he admitted, looking to see if the teacher was watching. "I couldn't help imagining waking up and my sister not being there."

All the A-listers knew how much Kwan adored his little sister. Dash sent him a look of sympathy.

"Do you want to sleep over at my house tonight?" he offered.

"And leave my sis by herself? Sorry, Dash, but I'll pass."

Next to the football players, two cheerleaders shared similar worries.

"My mom wouldn't be able to take care of herself without me there," Star confessed to Paulina. "My brother's in college out of state so I'm all she has right now."

Paulina, though she loved her best friend, could hardly sympathize.

"My Papa will be alright, but he'd stop at nothing to help get me back from this guy's evil clutches," she exclaimed, voice still a whisper.

"How do you know it's a guy?" Star asked, eyebrows raised.

"That's how the fairytale always goes. The princess, me, is captured by the evil mastermind, the kidnapper, then the prince, Phantom, comes to rescue me and we get married and fly off into the sunset."

Star watched her friend get lost in a fantasy. Sure, Phantom was the coolest ghost in Amity Park, but she would never understand Paulina's obsession with him. Maybe she felt special because she knew he was good before everyone else?

"Just please be careful, Paulina," Star urged, grabbing her friend's hand. "And don't you dare get kidnapped on purpose because I swear if you leave me alone with these losers, I will _haunt_ you _."_

Paulina mock gasped. "I would never."

"Could you guys stay quiet for more than five seconds?" Valerie hissed. She was writing frantically in a notebook.

"Like you're actually taking notes," Star said, leaning over enough to see Valerie's list of times, names, and possible suspects of the kidnappings. Valerie quickly jerked towards the window and covered her notes with her arm.

"Watch it," she snapped.

"There's no need to snap at us," Paulina said. "Why are you writing all that? It's not like you can help find them. Well, unless your dad's a police officer or something."

"You leave my dad out of this," Valerie snapped, recalling how they'd made fun of her family's transition into a lower social class. "And what I do is none of your business."

The class was able to keep their whispers quiet enough that their teacher was none-the-wiser, but a certain half ghost with superhuman hearing heard everything. Danny, already frustrated enough, tried to cover his ears to block out the A-listers.

"Whatever they're saying just ignore it," Sam said.

"I can't," Danny responded, hands curling around his ears as he pressed his forehead against his desk. "Everyone's panicking and I'm sitting at a freaking desk rather than out there," he pointed to the window, "catching whoever is doing this."

Danny turned to face them. "Do you know what the news said the other day?"

Tucker winced. "Uh, well, it's nothing they haven't said before."

"They're blaming all of this on me because I'm not out there trying to help."

"They just haven't seen you catch a ghost in a while," Sam reasoned. "Phantom staying quiet around the same time kids start disappearing is bound to catch their attention."

"I'm finally getting better at catching ghosts before anyone notices or gets hurt and suddenly I'm the bad guy. Thanks, Amity. Real nice."

His best friends had nothing positive to say about that. Thankfully, the teacher took that moment to sigh loudly. The students noticed his change in focus but were too slow to pretend they were listening.

"I know pre-calculus isn't the biggest thing on your minds right now, but can we all just focus for ten more minutes before the bell?" Mr. Denzberger asked.

The teenagers could easily see how tired their teacher looked. Everyone looked that tired nowadays.

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of 7th period, students raced to their lockers before the mandatory pick up by their parents. Danny, Sam, and Tucker walked slowly to theirs.

"Did you find anything, Tuck?" Danny asked, taking a notebook from him as they dodged running students.

"Not much," Tucker admitted, pointing at the information he collected. "Whoever took them removed the batteries and sim cards from their phones. I figured since none of their cells had been found then I might be able to track them, but this guy really knows what he's doing."

"Either that or they're in the Ghost Zone somewhere," Sam reminded. The two boys stared at her. "What? It's not like I think a ghost did it, but we shouldn't leave out the possibility."

Danny groaned as he used his intangibility to reach through his locker, knowing everyone in the hallway was distracted enough.

"No one knew any ghost that would want to kidnap humans," he snapped, pulling out his books. "I believe their words were 'ew, who would want to keep one of those?'"

Tucker laughed. "At least that crosses off a lot of suspects."

"But it just opens the door to thousands of others," Danny argued, slamming his locker shut. "Specifically the human ones."

The Trio, finished with their lockers, walked out the front door to their waiting parents.

"It'll be easier for you to take down a human," Sam pointed out.

"Harder to find, though," Tucker said, wincing when Sam punched him in the arm. "Hey!"

"I'll talk to Jazz tonight," Danny decided. "If anyone knows the psychology of criminals, it's her. Want to meet up around nine?"

Tucker and Sam grinned. "Nasty Burger?"

"Nasty Burger."

A loud, booming voice, followed by a crash and a car alarm, suddenly shouted, "DANNY-BOY! Over here!"

Obviously, Jack Fenton couldn't read the somber mood that choked the teenagers of Casper High, but surprisingly more than a handful of them looked a little thankful for it. All conversations about the missing kids were cut off when Jack accidentally pressed his foot on the peddle and slammed into a light post in his excitement.

"Hey! DANNY! JAZZY-PANTS! WE'RE HERE TO PICK YOU UP!"

The students waiting for their parents broke into laughter. If there was one thing that could make Amity Park's citizens unite, it was the understanding that Jack Fenton was a giant weirdo. Embarrassed, Danny quickly followed his sister to their family RV. Sam and Tucker waved goodbye wearing large grins. 

"I thought you were going to drive?" Jazz said, glaring at the passenger seat.

Maddie smiled sheepishly. "Oh, but sweetie, you know how your father loves to help you kids."

Danny and Jazz groaned as they buckled up in the backseat.

"Why is mom so weak to Dad's smile?" Danny asked, rolling his eyes.

"Honestly, their love would be cute if it wasn't so gross," Jazz said.

* * *

It was 8:30 when the Fenton siblings finally stopped their research. Jazz shared thousands of notes on criminal psychology with her little brother - who had to be woken up several times and told to pay attention - before Danny gave up.

"Jazz, none of this will help me find him," he complained, falling backwards to sprawl across his floor.

His sister was silent far too long for Danny's liking. Disturbed, Danny slowly raised himself to his elbows.

"You don't think I'm going to find him, do you?"

"They're taking teenagers," she answered.

"And?"

"You're a teenager."

Danny's eyebrows raised as he flung himself forward to face Jazz.

"Wait, you think I'm going to get kidnapped?" he whispered, horrified. "Jazz, I'm half ghost, there's absolutely no way someone would be able to get me, and I highly doubt this guy is going to be concerned about making things ghost proof."

"I get that, Danny, I really do, but there are a lot of ways to make sure someone can't fight back." She handed him a list on a piece of notebook paper.

Danny quickly read through it. "Hostages? Drugs? Sleeping gas?" He lowered the paper. "Seriously, Jazz?"

Jazz rolled her eyes. Why must fourteen-year-olds be so difficult?

"I just want you to be prepared."

"I'll be careful," Danny said. He looked at the time and dove for his cellphone.

"Crap! I have to go meet Sam and Tuck," he yelled over his shoulder, already halfway out the door. "Uh, you're fine with cleaning up, right?"

Jazz smiled fondly. "Go."

"I have the best sister ever," Danny shouted as he raced down the stairs.

"And don't you forget it!"

* * *

"Actually, Jazz might be on to something here," Tucker commented in between bites.

The minute Danny arrived, the group moved to a secluded corner and shared their theories. Although Danny could hardly remember all the psychological information Jazz shoved at him, he remembered enough to explain her thoughts.

Sam gave Tucker a disgusted look as some of the Nasty Sauce spilled over his chin.

"Would you please stop acting like an animal," she snapped.

"Come on, Sam. Who doesn't love animals?"

Ignoring Sam's obvious distaste for meat and Tucker's eating habits, Danny asked Tucker, "You think we might get kidnapped?"

Thankfully, Tucker swallowed before he spoke. Danny had no desire to see his best friend's chewed food.

"She has a point. Teenagers are the ones disappearing, but that's not what I meant," he explained. "You even said that finding this guy could be impossible if he's human, so what if you got captured on purpose?"

"I cannot believe you just suggested our best friend should try to get kidnapped," Sam said.

"No, actually that's a pretty good idea," Danny said, smiling as he thought it over. "Think about it: if he's human, then I can just fight him off once he takes me, find the other kids, and fly out safe and sound. It's perfect."

"And what if he's not human?" Sam asked, hands on her hips. "And, hello, secret identity?"

"That's true, dude," Tucker commented, shoving fries into his mouth in between words. "If this is a ghost, then he probably knows who you are and would have ghost proof stuff to prevent you from escaping; and if this is some human guy, you kind of need to worry about the whole Halfa thing."

"This could just be a distraction to get to you," Sam brought up, quietly stealing one of Tucker's fries. Both boys saw her crime but decided not to mention it. "Maybe he's got a bigger plan going on and wants you to focus on this instead."

Not a second after she spoke, the Nasty Burger doors were thrown open. Normally hungry teenagers don't realize their own strength and tend to make a scene as they enter the restaurant, but when Star raced inside in tears, people payed attention.

Through her panicked breathing, she shouted, "I can't find Paulina!"

At the sight of bright green in the corner of their eyes, Sam and Tucker turned to Danny 

"If a ghost is using my classmates to bait me," Danny growled angrily amongst the panic, eyes glowing a toxic green, "then he's certainly got my attention."

* * *

The police, despite almost two years of getting to slack off due to a lack of human-related crime, got to Star first. Thankfully they hadn't cleared out the Nasty Burger or even bothered to pay attention to the people listening as they questioned the teenager who answered negatively to everything.

_"Did you see anything?"_

_"Did you notice anyone following you?"_

_"Did the air get colder?"_

_"Did Paulina disappear right in front of you?"_

Star was hesitant to answer the last one. Everyone listening knew this could help the police figure out once and for all if this was a ghost or human criminal.

"I looked away," she whispered, trembling again. "I only l-looked away for a couple seconds, but then I turned around and she was just gone."

Star was crying too hard to answer more questions. The police didn't seem bothered by it; they had the location Paulina was last seen, a semi-witness this time, and enough evidence to support the claim that a human was taking the teenagers.

"Five bucks says they're going straight to the news stations to stop the human/ghost panic," Sam commented as the police walked out the door of the Nasty Burger.

"Sucker's bet," Tucker muttered.

"Ghosts don't change their habits, yet Paulina was taken outside rather than from her own home. He also left a witness this time," Sam elaborated, turning to sit forward again. "Great. Of course this got even more complicated."

"That's a good thing, right?" Tucker said, pushing away the last bits of his food. He wasn't hungry anymore. "Now they can say for certain it wasn't Danny doing all this."

"It's too final," Danny said. "If they say for sure that it's a human, then no one but my parents will even consider the possibility it could be a ghost."

"But it's like Sam said, ghosts don't change their habits which means the person doing this is adaptable. Human."

"Like the Box Ghost suddenly loving circles," Danny mused, dryly.

"The three of us don't know much about ghosts and Danny's half of one," Sam argued, ignoring Danny's complaint that he was in fact an _expert_ at ghostlyness thank you very much. "The Fentons always go on about obsessions and habits and consciousness, but half of their beliefs are bullshit so."

"What if it's another Halfa?" Tucker said.

Danny turned green. "Don't even joke about that. Vlad is enough to deal with."

"I think we can safely say that Halfas are two in seven billion," Sam reassured.

Danny huffed a frustrated breath and looked over his shoulder. Something Mikey said the other day popped into his mind as he watched Star seek comfort from her friends.

"I'll be right back," Danny told them, eyes on the group by the door. Tucker and Sam stared at his back like he'd grown an extra limb from it.

"Is he seriously walking into the lion's den?" Tucker asked, bewildered.

Sam scowled. "If he gets eaten, I am so not rescuing him."

Danny ran though the last conversation he had with Mikey just before he disappeared - _was_ _kidnapped_ \- the night before. For some reason the self-proclaimed nerd thought it was important that the first boy who went missing played an instrument. Could he have figured out a connection?

All talking ceased when Danny approached the table. The A-listers looked shocked, perhaps even a tad angry. The youngest Fenton knew this wasn't the best of times to attempt to break the unspoken barrier between social classes at Casper High, but he had to know.

"What do you want, Fenturd?" Dash growled, standing up.

Danny held his hands in a sign of surrender. "Heeeeey, Dash. Good to see you. Looking great. I just need to ask Star something."

The A-listers became visibly angry at his statement and Danny suddenly wished he had worded that better.

"Go gawk at someone else, Fenton," Kwan said, voice cold. "Or wait and watch the news later like everyone else."

"No, wait! That's not what I meant," Danny begged, taking a deep breath and dropping his arms. Praying he wouldn't get hit, he stared Star in the eyes. "Mikey said something to me before he was taken, and I just want to check something."

The tense air relaxed slightly. They much have thought he wanted to exploit Star's story or pester her about Paulina. Surprisingly, that was kind of heartwarming.

Star rubbed her eyes. "What is it?" she asked, sounding extremely tired.

Danny felt bad for the girl. She'd just lost her best friend to an unknown horror. If it had been Sam or Tucker he probably would have been in the same state, or attacking every ghost in the zone until they told him where two of the most important people in his life were.

"Did Paulina, I don't know, play an instrument or something?" Everyone in the group gave him a confused look. "Or was she into art? Could she draw?" he added. "Like a talent for either?"

"Fenton, why in the-" Dash started before he was cut off by Star.

"No, she didn't," she answered. "Does that help?"

Danny winced. "Uh, yeah. Thanks. Sorry to bother you," he said sincerely, pausing until she looked up again. "Star, I really am sorry. They'll find her."

Star snorted, but was obviously done with the conversation. Thanking Clockwork that he hadn't been punched in the face already for daring to talk to the group so openly, Danny shuffled back to his friends who were waiting with amused expressions.

"I can't believe Dash didn't deck you," Tucker observed casually.

"Thanks for the concern," Danny muttered, sitting across from them. "I asked Star if Paulina played an instrument."

Sam and Tucker stared.

"The boy who was taken before played an instrument," Danny explained as their blank expressions continued. "And Mikey was asking about Caroline, the second girl, because he thought it was important she was really good at art or something."

"So the people disappearing are the ones who like art and music?" Tucker asked, slowly.

"Normally I'm with you, Danny, but right now I'm not following," Sam admitted, stealing more of Tucker's fries who didn't dare complain.

Danny groaned, sinking into his seat. He wasn't following either. Paulina didn't play an instrument and neither did Mikey, so why did he find those two facts so important for the other kids that disappeared? Maybe this had something to do with Ember again. Hypnotism could certainly explain how kids are disappearing seemingly without a fight.

"Paulina is really pretty, and I think the first girl that was taken used to be a child model," Tucker said. "Maybe the kidnapper is making a life-sized dollhouse."

Sam sprayed him with part of her drink, ignoring his indignant shout, "I was kidding, honest!"

"Just forget it," Danny finally said, interrupting their fight. "I guess Mikey must have been missing a few details, and I'm a C student so it's not like I can figure it out."

Tucker patted him on the shoulder. "I'm a B+ student and I can't figure it out."

Sam nodded. "I'm an A+ student and I can't figure it out."

"You guys are inspiring, truly, how could optimism survive without you?" Danny voiced as they stood up. All three avoid the A-lister table as they headed for the door.

"If anything, I'd be more concerned with the fact this guy didn't wait weeks to kidnap Paulina like he did with the first two," Tucker said, showing them the dates he had saved in his PDA.

"That's what Jazz said," Danny breathed. He stared at the condemning dots on Tucker's calendar. "Criminals sometimes break routine to make several kills at one time."

The group passed police officers guarding the Nasty Burger: a rather redundant exercise considering Paulina was taken right under their noses. Sam grabbed Danny and Tucker's hands and swing their connected arms back and forth. Maybe she wanted reassurance they wouldn't disappear or just needed comfort; either way, they didn't question the contact.

"Do you think he's going to take someone else tonight?" Sam asked.

"Worried we might get kidnapped too?" Tucker teased. Sam let go of his hand long enough to punch him in the shoulder.

"Not funny," she hissed. "We should put trackers on each other before it's too late. One of your fancy undetectable toys."

"They're not toys–" Tucker argued, aghast.

"Trackers? They don't work in the Ghost Zone- oh," Danny realized, "if one of us gets caught and the tracker doesn't work then we'll know for sure if it's a ghost or human - Sam that's perfect!"

"I made pretty good use of our shared braincell," Sam grinned. "You guys should let me have it more often."

"I can use the GPS extensions I made," Tucker said, pulling out a small device from the top of his PDA. "I'll teach you how to track mine if I'm taken, and I'll give each of you guys one that I can track if you disappear. Hide it in your sock or something."

"I think we need to bring Valerie in on this," Danny said, suddenly.

 _"What?"_ Sam and Tucker dropped their linked hands in outrage.

Danny ducked before Sam could use her metal-toed boots on places that couldn't handle metal-toed boots.

"She's a hunter and she's pretty good at fighting," he explained, quickly. "Valerie's definitely someone we want on our side if we're going to be tracking someone, ghost or human. Plus, she'd be hard to catch."

"I love how he conveniently forgets the part where she hates his guts," Sam muttered.

"She hates my ghost guts, not my human ones."

"First, ew," Tucker complained. "Second, we'd have to convince her we're valuable teammates."

"She broke up with you because she wanted to keep you safe," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Face it, she thinks we're losers. As for her ghost hunting ability? I'd give it a 3/10."

"She gets points for making a jumpsuit look hot, though" Tucker said.

"Relevance?" Sam scowled.

Danny looked to the sky as if it could grant him the patience to deal with this conversation.

"We can at least give her a tracking device," Danny said before they derailed even further. His old feelings for Valerie were complicated, but she was a good friend and a great ally so they needed her on their side.

"We could start making devices for all the kids in our grade if we want," Tucker realized with a smile. "It would take a couple days, but it might help. I don't think I'll have enough material for every teenager living in Amity Park, though."

New mission in mind, the Trio split off after exchanging hugs and promises to stay safe. They knew they'd be up video calling each other for another five hours but for now they needed to reassure their families that they were still alive.

The fluorescent glow of his family's FentonWorks sign lit up the block. The house wasn't too far from the center of the city so Danny could easily see two police officers just a block away. The increased police presence was a strange sight after a year or so of absence. 

Danny stepped through the doorway and called out, "Mom, Dad, I'm not dead."

There was a crash from the basement. Knowing his father was going to show him a new invention of some sort, Danny dropped his cellphone on the center counter and met his dad at the stairs.

Predictably, Jack was there. "Danny-boy!" he shouted, holding up what looked like a vacuum cleaner. "Come take a look at this baby!"

In public, his family's eccentric attitudes were embarrassing, but in the privacy of their own home they ranged from annoying to amusing. He smiled and joined his dad in the lab. His mother wasn't with him so she was probably in the shower.

"What are you up to?" Danny asked.

Jack thrust an invention forward.

Danny raised the device away from his body and laughed awkwardly, "Uh… what does it do, exactly?"

"Not sure yet, but I know once I figure it out that it'll be great," Jack cheered.

"Oh, um I'm sure it will."

When his parents were working on an invention it was like everything else disappeared so before he went back upstairs to leave Jack to his work, Danny needed to ask him something.

"Hey, Dad? Why do you think the guy taking teenagers is a ghost?"

"Oh?" Jack said, looking up. "Finally interested in ghost hunting, are you, son?"

"What––oh, no, it's just that I knew some of the kids that went missing, and just now at the Nasty Burger Paulina disappeared. 

"Another one, huh?" Jack said quietly, setting his weapon down and facing his son. "Your mother and I know a ghost when we see one, Danny. This one's behavior is all over the place but it still reeks of ghost."

"Even though he changes his technique? I thought you said ghosts have trouble with adapting."

There was a moment where Danny thought his father was going to cry because his son remembered one of the ghost lessons he was given last year. _Oh god, please don't. Seriously._

"That's the thing, Danny-o," his dad said, instead, "ghosts usually don't change, but Maddie's always said that saying something is impossible only makes the universe want to prove you wrong. We find out new things every day. Isn't it exciting?"

The whole 'danger of being kidnapped' thing wasn't very exciting, but Danny knew his dad was just as upset as the rest of the town. His ghost obsession just tended to take over. It was the scientist in him.

Jack placed his giant hands on Danny's shoulders.

"You be careful, all right? Your mother and I just love you to pieces and we wouldn't know what to do without you."

Sometimes Danny had trouble remembering that they were parents first, scientists second - especially when they screamed about tearing his ghost half apart - but it was moments like these that truly hit home for him. Breath caught in his throat, Danny nodded.

"Sure thing. I'll be okay."

His father messed up his hair. "Get some sleep! You've got school tomorrow. Your mother says you need to bring those grades up."

In the safety of his space-themed bedroom, his late-night video chat with Tucker and Sam consisted of theories about the kidnappings and their new plan with tracking devices. Even after they ended the call, there was a warm feeling in Danny's stomach from his Dad's words of support. It was words like those that almost made Danny feel like he could tell his family the truth about what he was.

Almost.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

The next morning, after a long night of debate with Sam and Tucker, Lancer's class was first and for once Danny finished an assignment. Due to the disappearing teenagers, homework and classwork was reduced greatly at Casper High. Lancer, however, seemed determined to 'give them their education.'

Said teacher strolled into the classroom with an air of confidence.

"I sincerely hope that all of you did your homework," Lancer announced as he passed up and down the rows. He stopped in front of Danny. "If Mr. Fenton can turn in this assignment on time, then I expect all of you to have it today."

"That is such a low standard," Danny said. Lancer winked at him as he picked up his essay.

Paulina had Lancer second period so the talk of the kidnapping wasn't as prominent in a class that didn't notice her absence. They'd all heard about it, but it wasn't popular conversation when an empty desk couldn't remind them of the danger they faced.

Lancer shuffled to a stop at Valerie's desk.

"Ms. Grey is absent?" Lancer wondered out loud. "I suppose if she wants credit for this assignment then she'll need to email me by tonight."

The hair on the back of Danny's neck stood up. If Valerie needed to get out of class to hunt a ghost, she would drop her essay off first before leaving. She never missed a class assignment.

Ten minutes later when the police knocked on the classroom door to question Lancer about his student's whereabouts, Danny glared at the empty desk of one of the most competent ghost hunters in the world.

"We should have given her that tracking device," he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally split into two chapters on Fanficiton.net but despite how I like the flow of shorter chapters for this story, some of them can easily combine. 
> 
> My writing style has changed a lot since I first wrote this story, so if I do start updating it after I finish crossposting, I'm going to have to try and merge the styles.


	3. Zookeeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kid, what the hell," the officer from before exclaimed as he raced forwards into the alley. "You're supposed to avoid these types of situations, not run at them."

Valerie's disappearance was all over the news by the time school got out that day. Well liked or not, the students of Casper High mourned the loss of one of their own and were terrified for their safety after the back-to-back disappearances. Those who knew Valerie also realized she was a pretty difficult target to pin down, which begged the question: who had managed to overpower her?

Danny was mostly feeling guilty. If these kidnappings were connected to him and his secret identity, then he'd managed to screw up Valerie's life more than ever. Rushing out of seventh period to search for Valerie had been his plan, but just before the 7th period bell rung, Principal Ishiyama called for a mandatory school meeting in the auditorium.

Meetings usually meant more headaches for Danny Fenton/Phantom.

"Twenty bucks says they'll call in your parents," Tucker said, trying to lighten the mood as they followed their teacher to the auditorium.

Sam knew he was only trying to make things feel semi-normal so she refrained from decking him. 

"They think this guy's human," she pointed out, casting a sidelong look at Danny. "The Fentons are ghost hunters."

"And this guy's a ghost," Danny cut in. "Valerie's careful and most of all street-smart. She wouldn't be tricked by some guy's pathetic excuse to get her in a van or help him carry groceries to his apartment."

"Yet a ghost trick would work?" Tucker asked.

Danny's shoulders fell. "I don't know, maybe."

"It's a good idea, Danny," Sam reassured, herding her boys to three empty seats near the back of the rows. The Trio slouched down enough to hide their heads if the Fentons actually were called in to help. "Keeping an open mind is hardly a bad thing."

"Except when you have a dirty one," Tucker quipped, grinning at his own joke. He looked at their blank expressions and sagged, defeated. "Yeah, that was bad, even for me."

Danny shook his head, suddenly well aware that Tucker and Sam could disappear on him in a second and reappear as tomorrow's headline.

"It's fine. I appreciate the support, really."

Sam smile was soft as she suggested, "After the meeting we can go patrol if you want."

"We'll stick together, right?" Tucker asked, looking nervous.

"Together," Sam and Danny echoed, smiling.

Like all school meetings, the students looked less than thrilled about holding one. The last time this happened, Pariah Dark was in the process of taking over their town, and the first one was hardly a good memory for Danny considering he had been named Public Enemy number one. The seats were filled by the time the bell rang to signal the end of the day. Once the students heard the bell, they groaned, clearly unhappy with having to stay at school longer than necessary.

"Paradise Lost, people, you'll get to leave in a minute," Lancer shouted through the megaphone in his hands. As the Vice Principal, the overweight teacher stood to the left of Principal Ishiyama on the stage. "Your parents have already been informed of the delay. We'll have you out of here as soon as possible."

No one was going to argue. School rules may have simultaneously relaxed and tightened due to the kidnappings, but detentions were still allowed and were a thousand times worse now under the requirement of constant adult watch. No one wanted to risk getting in trouble if it meant spending an afternoon being stared at by someone they disliked.

Principal Ishiyama made her way to the podium. Danny kind of admired her ability to not blatantly show how nervous she was. All the teachers had been on edge lately, and being the principal meant a lot of responsibility fell on her shoulders.

"As you all know, there is someone out there taking your fellow classmates," she began, voice bouncing off the walls of the suddenly silent room. "And we want to share with you some of our concerns regarding the matter."

"This person has no particular target in mind other than teenagers," she continued. "They ignore social background, race, gender, IQ, sexual identity, and several other factors that remain different in each student that has disappeared so far. Right now, we are currently down six students, and that is far too great of a number for us to pretend like your safety is still guaranteed."

"Students have not been taken _from_ Casper High as of yet, but the issue remains that all students who have been taken _go_ to Casper High. It is extremely likely that the culprit is either watching the school for targets or," here she paused to close her eyes as if the next statement physically pained her to say, "is one of our staff members."

Startled whispers broke out as students began to consider the validity of the statement. Tucker and Sam shared a look at the panic, but Danny was still dead set on the idea of this criminal being a ghost.

Principal Ishiyama, as well as several other teachers among the crowd, were disheartened by the claim, but knew it had to be said. 

"Please, students," she said, cutting off the chatter, "I urge you to be cautious and never travel in a group of less than three people. Do not trust those who may look weak, do not trust those whose claims of needing aid appear innocent. Call the police if someone is in danger, but do not under any circumstances approach someone, child or adult, if they try and get your attention."

The woman paused to allow them to soak everything in before reiterating, "You are the targets, and if you're not careful, the next time your families hear from you will be when your name is plastered across the front page of a newspaper."

The shivers each student felt were not caused by the school's AC.

She took a moment to gaze at their expressions. Each teenager looked as though they were finally understanding the situation they were in. Ghosts attacks were so common in their area that the principal had worried her students would not take the danger from a human as seriously, but one look at their faces right now easily disproved that idea.

Having said what she needed to, Principal Ishiyama backed away from the microphone to make room for Lancer. They shared a nod as they switched places.

Lancer did not hesitate before announcing, "As the principal has reminded you, the target is focused on Casper High students. Police are unable to figure out why, but if any of you are in some sort of danger or doing something you aren't supposed to, please talk to one of us so we can put an end to this madness."

That statement hit the half ghost superhero in the crowd hard. As he listened to the speech, Danny became more and more determined to find whoever was doing this, but that one statement from Mr. Lancer had his entire body tensing.

In the background, Lancer announced, "After school activities are banned until further notice..."

The speech continued but it sounded like white noise to Danny's ears. Sam and Tucker watched his fingers dig through the cushions of their seats. 

"Danny, please," Sam urged, trying to get his attention. "This isn't your fault."

"It's got nothing to do with you," Tucker whispered, grabbing onto his best friend's forearm. He was shocked to feel how tense the muscles were underneath. "Sam, he's going to-!"

Danny slipped through their fingers. "-run," Tucker finished, lamely, staring at the empty spot where his best friend used to be. Because he used his invisibility and intangibility powers, no one noticed his sudden disappearance.

Tucker heaved a deep sigh at Sam's look of guilt. "Aaaand he's gone."

"Unfortunately," she responded, looking towards the celling as if she'd find Danny floating above them. "Stupid, thick-headed, teenage boy."

"I'm a teenage boy."

"My point exactly."

Lancer was still talking, but with their minds focused on their best friend, Tucker and Sam hardly cared what sort of safety precautions were being set as of today.

Tucker chanced a quick glance behind him and took note of the two teachers guarding the doors. "We'll look for him after this."

"So much for sticking together," Sam growled, sinking into her seat.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Danny knew that as a C student he wasn't exactly one for thinking things through, but leaving the assembly and risking people watching him disappear into thin air was hardly a concern of his when the rest of his thoughts were so loud.

If students from his school were disappearing, then the only logical conclusion was that it was somehow connected to his existence as one of the only two half ghosts known to man-kind. Not only students just from his school, but ones from his class in particular. Whether the ghost wanted to use them as bait, or just a simple threat/warning of what was to come, Danny was done sitting by idly.

Danny would like to think he'd made some substantial allies in the past year and a half. Ghosts always have a motivation – Jazz didn't like to call it an obsession – and for most ghosts it wasn't murder. It wasn't even kidnapping. Jazz explained that ghost psychology must be drastically different than human psychology, but we all seem to seek out others for comfort. To her, it seemed like most ghosts just wanted to be close to the living as a way of holding on to who they were when they were alive.

With Skulker, Danny was beginning to realize the ghost enjoyed the hunt more than the idea of actually capturing him. Johnny and Kitty were very close to their human roots and couldn't keep away from the living world. Ember was obsessed with notoriety, but giving her a space to sing without the chants of her name also appeased her. Ghosts like Pointdexter and Youngblood were annoying and far too human like for Danny's comfort – _kids, they were kids_ – but liked... playing? more than anything. Messing around or being annoying was more accurate. 

It had only been a year and a half since he'd turned into something not quite dead but not quite alive either, and before the kidnappings, Danny thought he was finally beginning to understand ghosts.

He guessed that was a pipe dream. There would always be something to shake his confidence in himself. 

In his ghost form, Danny agilely weaved through buildings until he came across the highest one in town. If he knew Valerie, then last night she wasn't taken from her home, but rather while on a ghost patrol of the town. The Red Huntress was well known for starting from the center of town – to ease suspicion away from the fact she lived near the edge – and working her way around the edge before turning in around two AM.

In hindsight, knowing her hunting schedule was a bit creepy, but considering she was usually hunting him, Danny was allowed to be creepy if he wanted to avoid ending up at the wrong end of her gun.

Carefully seating himself above the back corner of the City Hall building, Danny tried to calm his breathing. He could feel exhaustion creeping through his muscles and now that he had time to actually think, he realized that he'd just left his best friends behind in a panic.

"Ugh, stupid," Danny muttered, rubbing the heel of his palm against one eye. "They're probably worried about me right now." He raised his head to allow a breeze to run over his body.

The view from his seat was beautiful, Amity Park really was an architectural marvel, and if he turned his head slightly, Danny could see out almost to the edge of town. The people below were going about their day as if the threat of a kidnapper didn't loom over them, and Danny was surprised he hadn't been noticed yet, whether as a threat or a friend.

"Well, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth," he said, standing up. Before he took off to fly back to Casper High and apologize to Sam and Tucker, he noticed an elderly man nervously squinting at a stop light in front of City Hall.

"And a little community service couldn't hurt," he sighed, dropping between building and changing back to Danny Fenton.

He raised an eyebrow at the police officer standing next to the crosswalk but making no move to help the man struggling to read the lights. 

"Dude, seriously?" he asked, gesturing to the old man.

The officer looked down. "Not my orders, kid," he answered in a gruff voice.

Danny rolled his eyes. There were three officers hanging around this block and all of them were probably ordered to watch and only act if a teenager was involved in a scuffle. Figuring it couldn't hurt to be heroic as both a ghost and human, Danny stepped up to the old man.

"Hey, um, do you want some help with that?" he asked.

The man jumped slightly; when he turned, Danny noticed a hearing aid. "Oh! Oh my, that would be wonderful," the man said, smiling eagerly. "Such a nice lad, unlike those useless good for nothing statues over there!"

Danny would bet his leg the officers watching were rolling their eyes.

"It's nothing," he sighed, reaching out a hand. "The light says walk now."

The man gripped Danny's hand weakly as the two crossed the intersection. There were only four cars waiting for them to pass, but thankfully they were patient with the slow travelers.

Danny shivered a little. Was it his paranoia talking or were they being watched? 

Deciding to make conversation, he asked, "So why are you heading to City Hall?"

The man scowled. "All those kids going missing and nobody finds nothing? I ain't settling for that crap, no siree."

"Did you know someone who was taken?"

"No, but do you think I'm just gonna sit around and wait for more of ya'll to take off?" he huffed, thanking Danny as he helped him step up the ledge across the street. "Before these bozos do anything, there'll be none of you left."

Danny smiled at him. "I know what you mean."

As soon as they stepped off the crosswalk the cars waiting for them to pass raced down the road. However, the odd feeling didn't pass and Danny couldn't help but look around. Besides the officers, there were three or four others walking away from City Hall a little ways away; none appeared to be a threat.

Danny's current companion wasn't done as he added, "I figured I'd talk to these people in charge and ask them what they think they're doing-"

Both Danny and the old man startled when a scream pierced the air. Absently, Danny noticed the officers jerking to attention as well, but all he had eyes for was a girl near an alleyway being overwhelmed by a larger man.

An adult attacking a teenager.

He didn't stop to think before he was suddenly in front of them and tackling the adult to the ground; the only things running through his mind were the names of his classmates who were taken by the guy trying to punch him.

Danny dodged the slow attack – ghosts punched ten times faster – and brought his leg up to stop a second swing from behind. Roundhouse kicks were overdramatic at best, but Danny wanted this guy down so he used the wall as leverage and caught the guy in the face before he could center himself again.

Blinded by rage, Danny ignored the woman gasping in the corner, ignored the cops who were almost on them, and even ignored the old man he left waiting on the steps of City Hall. His fists reached out to bring the guy's face up to his as he angrily opened his mouth to demand he tell them where his classmates were, when he noticed the purse in the guy's hand.

Slowly, the rage left his system and Danny sat back on his heels above the man he knocked out. A purse stealer. The adult had stolen the lady's purse – now that he was closer he noticed that the victim was a woman, not a teenager – and his only crime was being a thief.

Danny was so angry he almost punched the guy again.

"Kid, what the hell," the officer from before exclaimed as he raced forwards into the alley. "You're supposed to avoid these types of situations, not run at them."

"Would you really have stopped to help?" Danny snapped, glaring as the other officers joined the first one.

The policeman gave him a stern look. "We're still cops, kid. Let us handle the bad guys, you stick to the old ones," he reprimanded, taking out his handcuffs to secure the downed thief.

Another officer gently guided the woman out of the alleyway towards one of their cruisers. Her wrist looked broken, but a quick trip to the hospital could have it fixed in no time. She sent a grateful look to Danny over her shoulder, not that he noticed.

Danny stood up slowly as he backed away from the situation to give the police room. 

"At least I'm good enough to catch a purse snatcher," he growled, angry at himself and the situation.

The police were starting to leave but Danny remained with his head bowed, lost in his own thoughts. He'd sworn that guy was going to be it. He'd thought he'd finally found him, and that he could save the other kids now that the bad guy was caught – but no! The bad guy was a thief, not a kidnapper, and Danny was a sucky superhero.

His vision blurred as his thoughts refused to shut up. He had been so close.

He needed to clear his head, he had to get back to Sam and Tucker before they got Jazz involved. Trying to wipe the blurriness from his eyes, Danny scrubbed them roughly. They felt heavy.

"Woah, kid, that was really something," the old man's kind voice cut through his angst session from the mouth of the alleyway. "You don't look like much of a fighter."

Danny tried to turn to face the old man. He ended up facing one of the walls. "I– my parents are pretty good," he said, using his normal excuse. His eyes were really starting to burn. "They taught me."

"They taught you, really?" the old man asked. His voice sounded far away.

"Yeah, they're hunters," Danny answered, tripping over his own feet and collapsing on the floor. At least he thought it was the floor. Maybe he'd hit a wall again? He wished he could see. Or think.

He lifted his head towards where he thought the old man was. Maybe he could tell him if he was on the floor or not. 

"Whereeee?" Danny tried to express, squinting at the mouth of the alleyway. Were his eyes playing tricks on him or did the old man have a light around him?

"It's funny, the other girl said she was a hunter too," the old man commented, sounding closer. "But she taught herself. What do you two hunt, exactly?"

He couldn't lift his head anymore. Was moving important? It didn't feel like it was. 

"Ggggggssstttts," he warbled. Had he said ghosts? Wasn't he supposed to not tell anyone that?

"Ghosts?" the voice remarked. "Well now, that just doesn't make sense. Why would you want to hunt ghosts?"

Was someone talking? Danny couldn't see, but he swore he heard footsteps. "Whhho?" he asked.

"You, cub, may call me Zookeeper. I think we're going to get along wonderfully."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note, no romance. Lots of platonic bonding though cause i'm a slut for happy relationships


	4. Someone Was Watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny knew the minute he returned to awareness that he was not where he was supposed to be.

Danny knew the minute he returned to awareness that he was not where he was supposed to be.

The human body tends to awaken in two stages: first, the brain decides to pay attention, then the body follows. Danny figured he was in that first stage where he was thinking and feeling, but his body refused to respond. He couldn't hear his father's monstrous snores, so he knew immediately that he wasn't at home, and the smooth texture of tile beneath him told the teenager he wasn't laying in a bed either. There was chatter in the background and the vibration of running feet so Danny guessed the noise must have been what woke him.

Not being able to open his eyes was an issue. The chatter was soon above him but Danny was no closer to being able to move so he couldn't tell who was before him. He was certain he was surrounded, but by friend or foe was the important question.

Did someone just curse? Danny had to know what was going on. He used all his strength to curl one hand into a fist. The voices made various noises of surprise.

"-faster than normal, isn't it?" someone whispered, just to his left. Danny forced his head to follow the sound.

"Danny, can you hear me?" another, distinctly male voice called right by his left arm. He followed the sound to convey he was listening, but still couldn't open his eyes.

"You seem to get caught in the middle of everything, don't you, Space Boy?" a girl's voice said.

If Danny could move, he would have shouted. That was definitely Valerie's voice. One final struggle for movement let him succeed in cracking his eyes open. There was artificial light directly above him and several shadows hovering nearby, but he didn't recognize the area.

He groaned at the headache that suddenly hit.

"Take it easy," a voice said. Maybe Mikey? "The drugs have not had an appropriate amount of time to exit your body." Definitely Mikey.

Danny's tongue moved slowly. "Ddruggss? Nooo drruggss."

Two voices laughed near his feet. "This one's funny, can we keep 'em?" a guy joked.

Once the headache passed - with the other students waiting patiently for him to fully awaken - Danny reached for Valerie's hand as he forced himself to sit up. The nausea was overwhelming enough that his hand immediately went to cover his mouth before he did something embarrassing like throw up on Valerie's lap.

"If you're worried about throwing up on me, don't worry, it's not like it's any worse than that time your pants fell off while talking to Paulina," Valerie teased, supporting his right side. More howls of laughter came from the two people at his legs.

"Okay, we're definitely keeping you," a black male joked, waving a green beanie at Danny who jerked backwards. "Name's Rodney, I'm number three. I assume you're Danny?"

Confused and disoriented, Danny took in his surroundings. There was a high ceiling with bright lights and the room appeared to have several doors on one side with only one on the opposite. Two tables were set in the center and a small area of what looked like grass was off in a corner. Overall the room was rather bare, but if Danny squinted, he swore the two statues by the door were ghosts.

Looking back at the people, Danny was relieved when he noticed Valerie, Mikey, Paulina and three more students. He couldn't contain his excitement and shouted, "You're here!"

"Not like you can tell anybody," Rodney snorted, placing the green beanie back on his head. He was sitting between Paulina and who Danny thought was Caroline. "You probably haven't realized it yet, but you got caught too, man. You're a 'missing kid' now."

All the joy Danny felt left abruptly. He could feel Valerie pressing a comforting hand on his forearm but all Danny could think about was Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and his parents.

He curled inwards, "Oh god, I left Sam and Tuck alone. My parents are going to go nuts," he said.

Rodney was raising an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you the kid with the crazy folks that hunt ghosts?" he asked. Danny nodded. "Well then it's perfect. They'll be even more motivated to find us now that you're here."

To his right, Paulina crossed her arms and huffed. "I keep telling you, my prince will come for me and we'll all be rescued soon. We don't need to rely on them for this."

"Even in captivity she never shuts up," Valerie muttered. If Danny were in a joking mood, he probably would have laughed. Danny was not in a joking mood.

"How are you feeling?" Mikey asked, moving to lean in front of Danny. The redhead took a quick check of his eyes before nodding. "Your pupils are shrinking."

Danny blinked. Was that good or bad?

Hearing Mikey's medical verdict, Rodney and the unnamed girl scooted sideways until everyone was in a circle rather than surrounding Danny.

"Hi, Danny," the girl said, smiling and holding out her hand. "I'm Mia. Number one. I've been here for about a month according to the newbies."

Next to Mikey, Caroline said, "I'm Caroline, number two," and Danny suddenly realized they were saying the order they were kidnapped in. What disturbed him the most was they made it sound like routine.

Rodney waved. "Already did mine."

"You know us," Mikey said, grimacing. "I'm number four."

"Lucky number five," Paulina cheered, waving.

Valerie looked at Danny as if she wished he were anywhere but here. "Six," she said, softly, "and you make seven."

"Seven," Danny whispered, with the dawning realization that the number was part of his definition as a person now. "Seven of us are missing."

"Ye-up," Rodney said, accenting the p. He leaned back until he could watch the ceiling as if it was filled with stars. "You get used to it eventually. The shock wears off in about a day."

"At least he didn't wake up swinging," Mia laughed, sending a look to Valerie who was scowling faintly.

Danny wanted to scream. This wasn't casual. There were people desperately looking for these kids who were just, what? Joking around in some large room while an argument that could break out into a civil war about ghosts and humans brewed in their hometown?

The only thing that held his tongue was Valerie, who not only seemed to be indulging the others in their jokes, but encouraging them. Danny watched as the group effortlessly teased one another about the most inconsequential things until he realized they _knew_ they were kidnapped, they _knew_ they were in danger, but they were trying to cope as if they weren't.

God, Jazz would have a psychological field day with these kids.

Or maybe they were doing this for Mia who, as Danny watched, remained the center of attention. She had been here for almost three weeks before the next kid was taken. All alone with the ghost that took them -

"Zookeeper," Danny gasped, jumping to his feet. Below him the others topped talking.

"What?" Paulina asked, looking confused.

"The ghost that took us. He said his name was Zookeeper. Where is he?"

Silence met his statement.

"Danny, you actually saw the ghost?" Valerie asked, rising to her feet.

"You didn't?"

Everyone's eyes were wide as they followed Valerie and him into standing. Danny turned to each of their faces and was met with disbelief. He angrily threw his arms out.

"I saw him, I swear. He was the old man I tried to help cross the street, but then this mugging happened and suddenly the old guy used some sort of weird gas on me."

Valerie shook her head. "I believe you, but you have to understand, none of us have seen him. I was out… shopping and then everything turned black."

She was definitely out ghost hunting.

"I was sleeping," Caroline voiced.

"Sleeping," Mikey shared.

Paulina snorted. "I was walking with Star and that creep still managed to get me when I wasn't looking."

Rodney said he'd rather not say what he was doing, but reassured that he hadn't seen who took him.

Now it was Danny's turn to stare at them in disbelief. What had they been doing this entire time?

"Are you even trying to escape?" he asked.

The insensitive words were out before he could take them back. Each teenager sagged, while Valerie and Rodney looked angrily at the single door to the left.

"When I woke up, I was in this room," Mia, the first girl taken, explained in a quiet voice. "No one came to talk to me, and the ghosts over there never moved. A couple times a door opened, and once I went in, it would close and," she paused, holding her arms protectively.

The others gave her encouraging looks so she continued in a much more confident tone, "They would just watch. From the other side. All I had to do was stand there every time the door opened and then I'd get food and water."

"The grass showed up when I started following the 'invisible rules,'" Rodney added. "Mia and Caroline were already here and following directions, but at first I was pissed, dude. I attacked those guards, kicked the walls, and yelled every curse word known to mankind."

He paused to watch Danny's reaction who was only growing more and more horrified. "No one ever came. No matter how much I yelled and rebelled, no one showed up. Then, once I started going into my own little room that opened, we got the grass as a gift," he said, biting out last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"I tried opening that door by the guards," Valerie said, waiting until Danny turned to look her in the eyes. "I swear, I tried everything to get this damn ghost's attention, but he ignored us as if we didn't matter enough to acknowledge."

She wore an expression that Danny had only ever seen aimed at his ghost half. Her face pinched in fury, not anger - too soft of a description - at the situation and the one behind it.

If he were paying more attention at that moment, he would have noticed the bruises covering parts of her body.

Danny chanced one more look around the room. Already he could feel his body returning to its normal state of just under an acceptable temperature for a human, and his ghost DNA thrummed within him. There was definitely a ghost shield surrounding the room, and if he could feel it then Valerie, an experienced hunter, should be able to at least hear the vibrations.

"Since you never saw the guy who kidnapped you, then the ghost shied gave away that we're in the Ghost Zone," Danny said, voicing his observation like a question.

Caroline coughed. "The, um, guards are also floating," she pointed out, not used to all the supernatural aspects of Amity Park considering she had just moved there.

Obviously that was the reason why the others knew a ghost had taken them. Danny tried not to fidget when Valerie sent him a look. If Sam were here, Danny just knew she'd smack him.

"And how exactly did you know there was a shield, Space Boy?" the hunter asked, hands on her hips.

Oh, no reason, I'm just half ghost and the complete embodiment of everything you hate.

"Ghost hunter parents, Val," Rodney laughed, swinging an arm around Danny's shoulder. As he was pulled in, Danny felt a wave of sorrow. It felt like the one-armed hugs Tucker always dragged him into. "He's been raised into this stuff."

The people from his sophomore class laughed. Danny's face reddened in embarrassment.

"Danny Fenton? No way, he hates his parents freaky stuff," Paulina snickered.

Mikey was trying to respectively hide his giggles. "Danny isn't exactly one for, uh, fighting off ghosts," he voiced, recalling all the times his classmate hid in the bathroom during an attack.

Valerie shoved Paulina and Mikey. "Knock it off, you two," she snapped, glaring. "There's nothing wrong with being kindhearted."

"Didn't get him far, did it?" Paulina grumbled and Danny really tried to ignore how much that hurt.

"This Zookeeper," Rodney cut in, "what's he like?"

"Don't know," Danny said, shrugging. He tried to recall the conversation they had in the alleyway before he'd blacked out. "He looked like an old man, had a hearing aid, wore plaid of all things. Honestly, he seemed harmless."

Valerie's mind was moving a mile a minute. "Explains why he used the gas to overpower us. If he's a weak leveled ghost, then he can't do much to us without help."

"But now that he's got us trapped, there's not much we can do to get out," Mikey reminded. "Especially when-"

The shrill sound of an alarm spooked Danny enough that he jumped backwards, preparing for an attack. He cursed himself for immediately following instinct in the presence of a ghost hunter, but Valerie wasn't paying attention.

When he noticed the others starting to move towards the doors, he asked, "What was that?"

Valerie and the others paused. "Oh, crap, forgot to tell new kid about the viewings," Rodney said, turning around and waving over his shoulder. "Oh well, whoever he ends up with will have to explain."

Mia rushed after him. "What if he ends up alone?"

Rodney kept walking. "We had to figure it out. He'll be fine."

Danny watched as they left him standing dumfounded in the center of the empty space. Valerie was the last to leave him alone, but even she seemed to be in a hurry to reach the closed doors clustered together on the right wall. Each of the teenagers stopped before a door – Danny noticed that Mia and Paulina were standing in front of the same one - and paused as if waiting for something.

There was an odd tension in the air, something Danny didn't feel like breaking. After several seconds, the doors suddenly rose. From this distance he couldn't see what was inside all of them, but Mikey's was closest to the center and appeared to be covered in puzzles.

The students quickly shuffled in. Rodney and Paulina disappeared as they continued to walk inside, but the rest of the students stopped at the edge to watch. Danny startled when all the doors started to close.

Except for Valerie's.

When the others were almost hidden from view, Valerie noticed the issue and screamed, "NO!"

Mikey tried to say something, but his voice was cut off just before he could call out what might have been words of encouragement. The other doors sealed shut. Danny remained frozen in the center of the empty room while Valerie glared upwards within hers.

"Valerie," Danny said, weakly. He had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was had Valerie nearly panicking.

The female screamed again, this time at Danny. "You stay there, Fenton, you hear me?" Her finger pointed towards him, but her face remained pointed at the sky. "He stays there!"

The room didn't seem to agree. A shrill sound echoed through the space and Danny almost collapsed from its intensity. Having super hearing wasn't always a good thing.

Valerie was stomping her foot in protest despite the shrill alarm. "I refuse," she shouted, face red. "He doesn't belong here. Not _this_ one."

Danny, keeping his hands on his ears, started to walk towards her. She jerked to face him before he made in halfway. "Danny, stop!"

He didn't know what was going on, but Valerie was angry and the noise wouldn't stop, so Danny listened to context clues and jumped passed the girl trying to block the entrance.

She whirled around to shout at him before he landed roughly on what felt like a gymnastic mat. He laid there watching her furious expression as the door shut with a condemning thud.

"You idiot," she voiced, tone carefully level.

"I get told that a lot," Danny laughed, weakly, propping himself up on his elbows. The new room was just as bare as the last besides the holes in the ceiling and the pane of glass acting as the wall opposite of the door. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere you shouldn't have to be," Valerie answered, angrily. She marched over to him and reached out for his hand. Once they were both upright, Valerie moved backwards and settled into a crouch.

Danny felt uneasy. That was the look she got before she shot a weapon at his ghost form. "Um, Val-?"

"Do you know how to fight, Danny?" she asked, cutting him off. Her stance remained taunt.

"I- well sort of, I mean, my parents taught me a bit," he stuttered, backing up.

"Can you last as long as I can?"

Danny pretended to be shocked. "Oh, wow, you can fight?"

"Danny," she snapped. Her eyes were watching the ceiling. To his right, out passed the window, Danny swore he heard voices getting closer.

"Yeah," he said, completely serious. "I can last."

Valerie nodded. "Good, because once they start coming out, it'll be a while before we get a break." Danny followed her gaze to the ceiling, realizing that his instincts were forcing him into a crouch as well.

Something was coming.

Just before little floating globs of ectoplasm that felt like rocks started launching themselves at the two teenagers, Danny risked one more glance outside the glass. There were ghosts, maybe fifty of them, crowding around their weird room.

"They're watching," Danny breathed.

Valerie's laugh held no amusement. "Here, Danny, someone's always watching."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 more chapters until we're caught up – now I've got to try and find the document with my original plans for this story


	5. Ghost Hunters

A year of constant ghost fighting introduced Danny to the torture of muscle pain. Sore muscles were nothing to joke about, and the crime-fighting teenager held a new respect for athletes who were forced to endure the reshaping of theirs to perform to the best of their ability.

After the disaster that was the Casper High fitness test, Sam had forced him and Tucker into daily exercise drills involving running a mile and several muscle workouts to gain flexibility. In his ghost form Danny felt as though his bones were made of rubber, but in his human form he was constricted to the average high schooler's muscle density and elasticity.

At first he had cursed Sam in several different languages. Now he was mentally thanking her.

They had been fighting for what felt like hours. Valerie told Danny halfway through that the other kids still hadn't figured out a system for keeping track of time. The ghost that took them decided the human construct wasn't important enough to give them a working clock.

Not that human electronics worked well in the Ghost Zone, evidence being Danny's tracking device hidden in his shoe.

Through the muscle strain and battling weird mini ghosts, Danny prayed that Tucker and Sam figured out he was in the Ghost Zone and came looking for them. The only thing that worried him was the fact he'd already searched the Ghost Zone. Wherever this place was, Amity Park's normal ghosts didn't know about it and humans couldn't find it.

"You're slacking, Fenton," Valerie shouted.

Danny snapped back to attention just in time to prevent one of the ectoplasm balls from nailing him in the forehead. Together they had managed to escape with minimal casualties - Valerie admitted this was a lot easier with two people - but the constant movement was starting to wear them both down.

Danny chanced a look at the other ghost hunter. She had a bruise forming on her cheek where she'd been too slow to dodge and sweat dripping down the clothes she went missing in. Danny himself felt like he was swimming in salt water. Their breaths had been reduced to pants.

"We can't keep this up," Danny heaved, leaning one hand against his knees only to launch himself at the floor a second later. When the ectoplasm ball passed, he picked his head up. "How long does this- _aghh-_ typically go on for?"

"I've only been here a day longer than you," Valerie answered. She was slowing down. "It- _hugh_ \- usually stops before it gets too much."

"This was too much about 3,000 of these things ago."

When the balls finally slowed, Danny was too exhausted to cheer. He collapsed in a heap, enjoying the cool feeling from the gymnastic mat beneath him. The sweat pooled off his body in a disgusting display, but Danny only had eyes for the ghosts outside their cell. Or rather the lack of ghosts outside their cell.

"Where'd they go?" he panted, knowing Valerie was somewhere near him on the floor as well.

"They just leave and come back whenever they want."

"Don't you find that weird?"

"Ghosts are ghosts. Enjoying human suffering is normal for them," she huffed, turning onto her back.

Danny frowned and propped himself up on his elbows. "Actually, ghosts don't really like humans- _at all._ They think we're kind of gross and weird."

Valerie snorted, still facing the ceiling. "That's a riot. Then why do they attack us so much? Amity Park's completely overrun half the time."

"Death does get kind of boring…"

"And you know this from personal experience?" she teased, sitting up. "Danny, I already know how you and your weird friends feel about ghosts so let's just agree to disagree, okay?"

"Ah, yeah, now's not really the best time to get into a debate about morality-"

"-especially considering it's a _ghost_ that kidnapped us-"

"-but what I meant was, ghosts really don't like humans. They attack us sometimes, sure, but they've never actually killed someone or taken us into the Ghost Zone to keep," he explained, thrilled when Valerie's expression showed she was understanding the gravity of the situation.

"This is the first ghost that's ever kidnapped people," he said, pausing to calm his breath.

The sound of panting filled the room as Valerie seemed to mull it over. Finally, she frowned at him, crossing her arms.

"You sure know a lot about ghosts for someone who hates his parent's job."

Danny tried to shrug nonchalantly, knowing there was a tremor in his shoulder that couldn't be attributed to muscle pain. "Jazz is really into psychology and since ghosts are all my parents ever talk about, they kind of mixed for me," came his pathetic excuse as he pushed himself off the floor.

He could feel Valerie's eyes on his back while he moved to press his hands against the glass window. No matter what angle he looked at it from, he couldn't see what was down the hallway on either side except two or three ghosts standing next to their cell.

"Are they… watching the others now?" he asked.

Valerie moved to stand next to him, but didn't press her face against the glass. "Look, none of us know why we're here or how we can get out. The only thing we know is that if we go into these rooms and do whatever task is given to us, we get food and showers, and even new clothes at the end of each week, according to Mia."

Danny watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her face was pinched again in that frustrated look that was a cross between anger and helplessness. "Mia and Paulina are pretty so they pose in front of the window."

At first Danny was a bit shocked. Him and Valerie were forced to fight for their lives in this cell and all the girls had to do was look nice? But one glare from Valerie had him closing his mouth.

"You're a teenage boy so I'll let what I know you were thinking slide," she said, gruffly, watching his reaction as she explained, "Can you imagine how invasive it feels to simply stand and be leered at by hundreds of people? Even if it's not sexually, the stares of other people on your body are extremely unnerving."

The more Danny thought about it, the guiltier he felt. He absolutely hated being stared at when he was Phantom. At first he loved the positive attention- God knows he needed it- but the eyes following and judging every move he made was spine tingling. And not in the good way.

Valerie nodded at whatever disturbed expression he was making. "Now just picture your worth as a human being, the very core of your person, being narrowed down to your physical beauty. _That's_ what Mia and Paulina have to deal with."

He almost didn't want to know but had to ask, "And the others?"

"We're split based on talent so Mikey is solving puzzles in his room: big brain teasers and riddles that would make your head spin. Caroline's thing is art so she makes the room look pretty and splashes colors everywhere. Rodney plays the violin for beings who will never understand the beauty of it and-," she cut herself off, probably recognizing how her voice steadily rose and became angrier the longer she talked.

"And that's it," she finally finished, turning around and leaning her back against the glass to face Danny. "Once we finish, we get to eat, sleep, and the cycle starts all over again. Or so I'm told. I've only been here a day so I'm sort of a newbie too."

Danny turned around to mimic her position. He recalled the other kid's attitudes from the day before as he rubbed his forehead to ease the ache. "Why do they act like this is some kind of game?"

"The first three have been here for a long time, Danny," Valerie sighed, sliding to the floor. "They're trying to make the most of the situation."

"But they're not trying to escape."

"Well they didn't have two ghost hunters on their side back then," Valerie said.

Danny jerked sideways. She noticed his bewildered expression and bit her lip.

"I know you said your parents only taught you a little, but I still think you count as a fighter after those moves I saw earlier," she said, laughing before looking nervous again. "And, Danny, I have to tell you something."

The teenage boy remained frozen as she confidently turned to him and stated, "I'm the Red Huntress."

Seconds passed before Danny realized he needed to _react._ "O-oh!?" he stuttered.

Smooth.

Valerie was running her hands through her thick curls to ease her nervousness. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you when we were dating, but I broke up with you because I was trying to keep you safe," she explained, looking at him earnestly. "You're such a good person, Danny, but I didn't want to drag you into my mess of a life."

Oh, sure. No problem. Let's just make Danny feel guiltier because he _created_ your mess of a life.

It took all of Danny's self-control to smile at her. "That's pretty cool."

Valerie looked up, eyes sparkling. "You think?"

"Definitely."

She laughed, leaning her head against the window. "That's good, because you know it's up to us if we want to get these guys out of here, right? I mean, Mikey's smart so that might help, but using our fists is the only way we're ever leaving this place."

Danny stared at the wall in front of them for a long time. She was right, it was up to them to get everyone out, and Valerie had just told him her biggest secret as a sign of trust and respect. They had bigger things to worry about than secret identities.

He took a deep breath. "I need to tell you something too."

She turned to smile at him encouragingly just before the door to their cell started rising. They were both on their feet in an instant.

"Dinner," Valerie shouted over the noise of cranking metal. She walked out the door as Danny followed at a far slower pace.

The others weren't out of their doors yet so Valerie turned around to ask, "What was it you wanted to say before?"

"Just, uh, wanted to get a head start on figuring out an escape plan, that's all," he said, laughing.

"You know you always rub your neck whenever you're lying."

"I do?" Danny choked, suddenly realizing where his hand was.

"It's cute," she snorted, turning around. "But it's fine. Don't worry about it."

Her casual dismissal of his earlier statement wasn't making him feel any less guilty, but the others were coming out of their cells so he figured making a scene wasn't the best idea.

"Hey, kid," Rodney shouted, running towards Danny who was ill-prepared for the sudden hug. "Looks like you survived the afternoon."

From his place within the larger teenager's arms, Danny growled, "You're only a year older than me."

"Yeah, but you're short."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Danny cried, indigently. Rodney laughed.

"Be careful," Valerie said, appearing beside them. "The fight was easier with two people, but we still got hit pretty bad."

Rodney let go of Danny to whistle at her face. "Wow! You've sure got a shiner there, Val."

The others joined the exploration of their bruises, each pointing out which ones looked like they hurt the worst.

In all honestly, when Danny looked down at his body, the most pain he felt came from what he couldn't see: the muscle strain. He had maybe one or two bruises on his thighs and arms, but the injuries were nothing compared to ghost hunting. Even Valerie had gotten darker black eyes than the one she currently wore like a battle scar.

Mia held out a roll of what looked like bandages and a tube of cream. "When Valerie's cell opened, we started finding these under the benches during dinner."

Rodney placed a hand over his chest. "It's heartwarming to know the big bad ghostie cares, isn't it?"

After Valerie had covered both herself and Danny in cream - who blushed and complained the entire time as he tried to convince the girl he could do it himself - the group moved to the picnic tables.

Danny noticed as they sat down that the others were adamantly refusing to talk about whatever went on in their individual cells during what Rodney had named "the viewings." In fact, they were actively avoiding the topic until Danny noticed Mikey's hands twitching.

"Are you okay, Mikey?" he asked, his damn hero complex coming into play. It almost looked like Mikey had been electrocuted. Obviously, he had broken some rule because the others started looking uncomfortable.

Mikey was at least kind about his faux pas. "It's nothing, Danny."

"Are you sure?"

The redhead shrugged his shoulders and avoided eye contact. "I'll just be sure to get the answer right next time."

Danny's eyes widened. Valerie made a cutting motion across her throat.

Conversation resumed as normal when dinner suddenly dropped from a hole in the ceiling. "Now that's what I call fast food," Rodney cackled. The others groaned loudly.

"You say that every meal, and it never gets any funnier," Mia reminded him.

"Danny thinks I'm funny, don't you, kid?"

Said teenager was too shocked by all the food before him to respond. "Is this… Nasty Burger?"

"Naw, man, it tastes better than that," Rondey answered, already peeling open the wrapper to a burger.

Paulina didn't agree as she gave the greasy meal a glare. It almost reminded Danny of Sam.

On the other hand, Danny wanted to think about what this could mean - the Zookeeper had to go into the human world constantly to get this type of fresh food, right? - but his stomach was preventing him from thinking logically. He reached for a burger, but glared at its contents suspiciously.

"How do you know this isn't drugged with something?"

The others didn't pause. "Thought of that," Mia said, munching on a fry, "but my hunger strike only lasted two days before it got too much."

"I don't feel any different," Caroline commented, quietly. "What could he possibly be giving us?"

Danny shrugged, feeling embarrassed. "I don't know, maybe something that prevents you from fazing through the walls?"

"Last time I checked, we weren't ghosts, dude," Rodney stated, looking at Danny as if he'd grown a second head. Even Valerie was starting.

"But in the Ghost Zone, humans are the ghosts," Danny explained, taking a bite of his burger and practically cheering at its taste. "We _should_ be able to faze through these walls."

"What?" Valerie whispered, surprised. "I didn't know we could do that!"

Rodney looked like he was going to throw himself at a wall to test it out so Danny hurriedly added, "But I already checked these walls and it doesn't work here for some reason." The older teen pouted and sat back down.

"Could he have gotten the walls from the human world?" Caroline asked, startled when Danny gasped. "I mean, if he got the food from there then maybe he knew about the, um, fazing thing too."

Danny was extremely worried now. "But none of the ghosts I've met knew about the fazing rule before I showed them," he shared.

"Does that mean this Zookeeper guy's pretty bad then?" Mikey asked, looking nervous.

Valerie and Danny shared a look. "I don't know yet, but I hope not."

The meal was finished within minutes and washed down with a giant jug of water to share between them. The others informed them that they just left the trash at the table and by the time they woke up it was gone the next morning.

"What next?" Danny asked, stomach full.

"Aren't you tired yet?" Mikey laughed, pointing up at the lights as they started to dim.

"We sleep out here? Where?"

Valerie directed him to a small opening in the wall by the grass. "Sleeping bags," she explained, pulling out several colorful ones. "Think of it like camping."

"Except we're here against our will," Rodney stated cheerfully, snagging the green colored bag and raced to find a good spot on the grass.

"I call pink," Paulina shouted, rushing forward.

By the time everyone grabbed one, there were two left so Valerie and Danny took the orange and purple.

There's always another sleeping bag whenever we get a new person," she said, laying theirs down next to the others in a big circle.

The bags were actually a lot comfier than they looked and Danny found it quite easy to settle into. Rodney was still laughing under his breath about something or other, but it seemed the others were ready to sleep.

"Do you think we'll get another kid tomorrow?" Caroline asked, tiredly.

Danny could hear Rodney moving enough to shrug. "Who knows? Maybe we'll get an adult soon," he commented.

"We'll get out of here before that happens," Danny reassured, confidently.

The others were silent, not quite believing him, but Valerie turned to face Danny. "You already have a plan?"

"A couple," he admitted, smiling. "I promise, we'll beat this guy."

Several hums came from the other teenagers.

"That'd be nice," Paulina murmured, half asleep already.

The lights above them finally dimmed far enough that only three remained on near the door. It illuminated the statue-looking ghosts there and reminded Danny what he was up against. If the Zookeeper thought they were just going to sit quietly like good little pets, then he thought wrong.

A dog when backed into a corner doesn't give up. It bites back.

**Author's Note:**

> Someone reminded me I haven't finished crossposting all my stories from Fanficiton.net. I'll try and post a chapter a day.


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